<p class="title">US President Donald Trump said Thursday that he sees his Russian counterpart Vladimir Putin as a "competitor", not an "enemy", days before they meet for a high-stakes summit.</p>.<p class="bodytext">"Someone said 'is he an enemy?' No, he's not my enemy. Is he your friend? No, I don't know him well enough, but the couple of times I've gotten to meet him we got on very well.</p>.<p class="bodytext">"But ultimately he's a competitor. He's representing Russia, I'm representing the United States," Trump added. "Hopefully someday he'll be a friend, I just don't know."</p>.<p class="bodytext">Trump said he would be discussing the civil war in Syria, the conflict in Ukraine, as well as allegations of Russian meddling in the 2016 US election.</p>.<p class="bodytext">"I will be asking about meddling, your favourite question," he told reporters during a press conference on the sidelines of a NATO summit in Brussels.</p>.<p class="bodytext">"All I can do is say 'did you?' and 'don't do it again'. He may deny," Trump added.</p>.<p class="bodytext">The US president was also asked if he would be prepared to recognise Crimea as part of Russia after it was annexed from Ukraine by Moscow in 2014.</p>.<p class="bodytext">Some news reports and analysts have suggested Trump might be prepared to concede the territory to Putin in exchange for cooperation in Syria.</p>.<p class="bodytext">"What will happen to Crimea from this point on? That I can't tell you, but I'm not happy about Crimea."</p>.<p class="bodytext">Trump blamed his predecessor Barack Obama "who allowed it to happen."</p>.<p class="bodytext">"That was on Barack Obama's watch, that was not on Trump's watch. Would I have allowed it to happen? No, I would not."</p>.<p class="bodytext">He also said that he expected to discuss NATO military exercises near the Russia border in the Baltic Sea, which Moscow considers provocative.</p>.<p class="bodytext">European nations are desperate for the US to maintain its military commitment to continue defending the continent under the NATO military alliance.</p>.<p class="bodytext">"We'll be talking about it," Trump said.</p>
<p class="title">US President Donald Trump said Thursday that he sees his Russian counterpart Vladimir Putin as a "competitor", not an "enemy", days before they meet for a high-stakes summit.</p>.<p class="bodytext">"Someone said 'is he an enemy?' No, he's not my enemy. Is he your friend? No, I don't know him well enough, but the couple of times I've gotten to meet him we got on very well.</p>.<p class="bodytext">"But ultimately he's a competitor. He's representing Russia, I'm representing the United States," Trump added. "Hopefully someday he'll be a friend, I just don't know."</p>.<p class="bodytext">Trump said he would be discussing the civil war in Syria, the conflict in Ukraine, as well as allegations of Russian meddling in the 2016 US election.</p>.<p class="bodytext">"I will be asking about meddling, your favourite question," he told reporters during a press conference on the sidelines of a NATO summit in Brussels.</p>.<p class="bodytext">"All I can do is say 'did you?' and 'don't do it again'. He may deny," Trump added.</p>.<p class="bodytext">The US president was also asked if he would be prepared to recognise Crimea as part of Russia after it was annexed from Ukraine by Moscow in 2014.</p>.<p class="bodytext">Some news reports and analysts have suggested Trump might be prepared to concede the territory to Putin in exchange for cooperation in Syria.</p>.<p class="bodytext">"What will happen to Crimea from this point on? That I can't tell you, but I'm not happy about Crimea."</p>.<p class="bodytext">Trump blamed his predecessor Barack Obama "who allowed it to happen."</p>.<p class="bodytext">"That was on Barack Obama's watch, that was not on Trump's watch. Would I have allowed it to happen? No, I would not."</p>.<p class="bodytext">He also said that he expected to discuss NATO military exercises near the Russia border in the Baltic Sea, which Moscow considers provocative.</p>.<p class="bodytext">European nations are desperate for the US to maintain its military commitment to continue defending the continent under the NATO military alliance.</p>.<p class="bodytext">"We'll be talking about it," Trump said.</p>